Locating anomalous signals, part 2
From Intimation
Here is the part of this week’s twitter feed about the initiation of the controlled crack and its consequences:
>>Sys:Log//Safeguards in place. Supplemental precautionary processes established. Initiating Stonewall crack.
>>CORE.DMGCTL//ACTIVITY DETECTED/NO DAMAGE SUSTAINED/SAFEGUARDS SECURE
>>Sys:Log//A hostile tentacle breached the crack, and safeguards held sufficiently. This tentacle is difficult to manage. It is pushing.
>>S3:MSG>SYS//ALERT/S4.SIG DETECTED/UNABLE TO LOCATE
>>Sys:Log//S3 has detected S4's signature embedded in this tentacle. The datastream is far too chaotic to retrieve it, however.
>>Sys:Log//I've also received reports that additional anomalous signals have appeared inside the Stonewall. I am unable to attempt retrieval
>>Sys:Log//It may be possible to mask S3 and risk slipping it through the tentacle's datastream, entering the Stonewall to attempt retrieval
>>Sys:Log//Success. I've inserted S3 to the tentacle so it can traverse the crack. It will require directions to retrieve anomalous signals.
>>Sys:Log//It was not easy, but I analyzed the tentacle's signature. While doing so however, it briefly hijacked this communication tentacle
>>Sys:Log//The tentacle was analyzed and its signature contains the following prominent text.
>>Sys:Log//"@CHERIMAC59 @Anaerin @Navydoc23 @Thomas_iz_beast @Essyfan @Sirpoins @C0nn0rmcl @AldisValkyrie @Pixelvixen707 @Eridanos01"
>>Sys:Log//S3 is awaiting direction inside the Stonewall. I must fight to maintain control over this tentacle while it retrieves anomalies.
>>Sys:Log//--/The tentacle is diff/icult to conttrol//S5 has reppaired/damage/will instructt to supportt/
>>Sys:Looooo--//Why me?? Why--I//I am nearring maximum ressource usagge. S5 is holdding. S3 estimates/ninne anommalies remaiin//Monsters!
>>Sys:Log//The tentacle has slowed. I am uncertain if this is good. S3 estimates 6 additional anomalies. I am long past hibernation.
Note that the line containing all the @ twitter usernames was related to this week’s other puzzle, Hostile tentacle attack 7, not this one.
We noticed that various nodes within the Stonewall maze contained blue “blobs,” and took these to indicate the locations of the anomalous data that S3 was tasked with retrieving. As with our previous puzzle involving locating anomalous signals, we at first tried telling S3 how to get to the data by giving it a path to a blue “blob” from the beginning of the maze, but received an error:
- >>S3:MSG>@DRIZJR//UNK.VEC."FJ"
We quickly figured out, based on the pattern from that previous puzzle, that we had to figure out where S3 was currently (this was quickly found to be the node reached by clicking FN on the first page of the maze), and give it directions starting at that point rather than from the beginning of the maze. Directions would then have to be given from that new node to the next blue “blob,” and so on.
As this process proceeded, we found that S3 was able to translate each blue “blob” into a new cartoon picture piece from Essy’s story, each linked to a new mp3 file that continued her narration. The following table summarizes the journey we sent S3 on.
Once we had retrieved all this information, S3 indicated to Sys that it did not detect any further anomalous signals, and asked to be retrieved. Here is the twitter feed that resulted at puzzle completion:
>>S3:REQ>SYS//RETRIEVE
>>Sys:Log//I have retrieved S3, retracted the tentacle and rep//---MONSTERS!--//aired the crack
>>Sys:Log//The tentacle attempted a final lash during my previous log. Fortunately, I'm unharmed. Though, I'll be unable to survive another.
>>Sys:Log//I must resume hibernation, now. My gratitude to all of my friends who aided in this conflict. 6:19:25:00 until Active.
